The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-12-22
The Old Ring Stin sauirningl

tne ola hailroau Mug Vi poiitiVui
traders and caueus-packers have not
vet given up the ghost. They still
squirm. They got badly aoored at
the last election, when they under
took to put their master into Mr.. Ed
mund's place in the United States
Senate, and were good deal dis
couraged because they couldn't quite
boss the last Legislature, as usual,
and prevent the creation of Rail
road Commission to protect the peo-
pie against the wicked eXtortion Of
the railroad though they did manage,
in one way and another, to take
pretty much all the saving grace out
of the legislation the people wanted,
But small beginning was made in
the right direction, and that was
something gained. Next year the
people mean, if they don't get cheat
ed out of their rights, to follow up
this beginning with further laws that
shall compel the great railroad mon
opoly to deal justly with all and show
favoritism to none, and they mean,
especially to disband forever Gov.
Smiths famous 'tFree Pass Br-
gade." They want no more free
riders going up and down the state
setting up the political pins for the
great political boss and packing eau
cuses to do his bidding. And there
is another thing they mean to put a
stop to, even if they have to throttle
few official windpipes in doing it,
and that is the practice of our SUI
preme court judges receiving large
presents, in the form of free passes
and transportation, from railroad
monopolies, while constantly sitting
in Judgment between these monopo-
lies and the people. If the judges
should receive presents of like amount
from individual suitors in their courts,
they would be denounced universally
as corrupt bride takers, and be indig-
nantly dismissed from the bench.
But not one of them would think for
moment of receiving such presents
from individuals, and there is no
possible excuse for contrary course
in case of monopolies, except a bad
custom that has come down from past
days, and which cannot too soon be
abandoned. One thing is certain, if
the judges do not drop their free
passes, the people will drop them.
As we have before said, there are in
dications that the old ring managers
have already begun their usual under
ground operations to hoodwink and
defeat the will of the people and
maintain the old order of things.
They are craftilv laying the pipes and
grooming candidates of their own
stripe, hoping to catch the people
mapping and thus regain their ole
fashioned grip and control over the
legislation and politics of the State
And they will do it, too, Unless the
people wake up. More than four
fifths of the voters of Vermont wan
the old ring rule over thrown, but the
other one fifth. who ride on free pass
es and bask in the smiles of the grea
boss. can beat them out Of their boot:
in political activity and low-dowl
management. They are thorough,
organized, they work on the sly, ant
they never let up in their efforts. d
course, if the great mass of homes
voters could be made to realize thu
true condition of things and would
come out to the caucuses and thu
polls, this little band of wire-puller
would be sat down on so heavily as tt
fatten them out completely. Th'
only question is, will the honest vo
tiers wake up and come out? Will
they keep the advantages they hav'
already gained, and conquer more, o
will they sink back into their old in
activity and indifference and ALLOW
the ring to ride rough shod over then
again? We are talking to the com
mon people now-those who have t,
work for a living, as we do, and no
to those who were born with golt
spoons in their mouths, and who rid
free up and down at our expense
Fellow workingmen-farmers, me
chanics and laborers-we mean you
Will you wake up and do your dut
manfully at the caucuses and tn
polls? If so, all is well. So mot
it be
The Enronean war cloud is agail